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In 1912, white land developers founded Idlewild, an African American resort community in western Michigan. Over the following decades, the town became one of the country’s foremost vacation destinations for the black middle class, during its peak drawing tens of thousands of visitors annually and hosting the era’s premier entertainers, such as The Four Tops, Della Reese, Brook Benton, and George Kirby. With the civil rights movement and the resulting expansion of recreation options available to African Americans, Idlewild suffered a sharp social and economic decline, and by the early 1980s the town had become a struggling retirement community in the midst of financial and political crises.

Meticulously researched and unearthing never-before-seen historical material, Ronald J. Stephens’s book examines the rapid rise and decline of this pivotal landmark in African American and leisure history, in the process exploring intersections among race, class, tourism, entertainment, and historic preservation in the United States. Featuring a wealth of fieldwork on contemporary Idlewild, the book also takes a candid look at recent revitalization efforts and analyzes the possibilities for a future resurgence of this national treasure.

Inventions of the Mind tells the story of Manierre Dawson (1887-1969), the first in America to move deliberately from representational painting that sought to copy nature and towards complete abstraction in its own right. In both his native city of Chicago and as a fruit-farmer in northern Michigan, Dawson produced bold, radical abstracts that challenged his viewers' preconceived ideas of art in the early twentieth century. Follow the genius of Dawson's life and work through the words of his father, memories of family and friends, letters, newspaper accounts, and the insightful words of the artist himself as he invents, dreams, and struggles to keep his art alive.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

Representing a new approach to the West's evolving understanding of Buddhism, The Driftwood Shrine is the first collection of Zen teachings to be based on the poems of great American writers. In reassuring, forthright, and often surprising language, Wolff explains how Emily Dickinson, William Carlos Williams, H.D., Richard Wright, and many other poets enshrined the gentle light of the Buddha's teaching in their work. Poetry lovers and Zen practitioners alike will find themselves moved toward a penetrating awareness of the realms of spiritual resolve, impermanence, desire, faith, and awakening.

In the three decades between 1920 and 1950, the Detroit Tigers won four American League pennants, the first world championship in team history in 1935, and a second world crown ten years later. Star players of this era—including Ty Cobb, Harry Heilmann, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Mickey Cochrane, George Kell, and Hal Newhouser—represent the majority of Tigers players inducted into the Hall of Fame. Sports writers followed the team feverishly, and fans packed Navin Field (later Briggs Stadium) to cheer on the high-flying Tigers, with the first record season attendance of one million recorded in 1924 and surpassed eight more times before 1950. In The Glory Years of the Detroit Tigers: 1920–1950, author William M. Anderson combines historical narrative and photographs of these years to argue that these years were the greatest in the history of the franchise.

Anderson presents over 350 unique and lively images, mostly culled from the remarkable Detroit News archive, that showcase players’ personalities as well as their exploits on the field. For their meticulous coverage and colorful style, Anderson consults Tigers reporting from the three daily Detroit newspapers of the era (the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, and Detroit Times) and the Sporting News, which was known then as the "Baseball Bible." Some especially compelling columns are reproduced intact to give readers a feel for the exciting and careful reporting of these years. Anderson combines historical text with photos in six topical chapters: "Spring Training: When Dreams are Entertained," "Franchise Stars," "The Supporting Cast," "Moments of Glory and Notable Games," "The War Years," and "The Old Ballpark: Where Legends and Memories Were Made." Anderson presents sketches of many fine players who have been overlooked in other histories and visits characters who often acted in strange ways: Dizzy Trout, Gee Walker, Elwood "Boots" "The Baron" Poffenbeger, and Louis "Bobo" "Buck" Newsom.

Tigers fans and anyone interested in local sports culture will enjoy this comprehensive and compelling look into the glory years of Tigers history.

John O'Herron's revolutionary "happy atom" tutoring method has helped countless students achieve their full potential over the years. The method, as well as the ideas behind it, are detailed in his new book Up N'Atom Wednesday. This innovative guide details the ins and outs of the educative approach that aims not only to increase student retention, but also to encourage parental involvement and create more educator accountability across the board.

With the ultimate goal of creating generations of problem solvers, O'Herron creates a system that essentially gathers and identifies information that is necessary to help students achieve success. This is based on the idea that scientists have long postulated that human behavior often mimics the behavior of individual atoms. According to O'Herron, "one attribute of a good scientist is not always finding what you are looking for but noticing something is significant when you get other than what you were looking for." This mindset helps put instructors in a position to identify students' frames of reference and thus formulate a common platform from which to work.

By viewing student behavior from the perspective of atoms, the opportunity to notice changes in behavior, even very subtle ones, becomes easier. Up N'Atom Wednesday details how instructors must identify students' frames of reference and accept them for who they are, not necessarily why they are. This creates a more trusting environment and relaxed dialogue, both of which are necessary if learning is to occur. O'Herron believes that the ultimate goal of teachers and tutors should be to apply whatever expertise they bring to the table to raise the student's frame of reference to what is considered an "acceptable" level.

O'Herron's Up N'Atom Wednesday is a must read for parents, teachers, tutors, and students alike. The author's insightful "happy atom" approach, illustrated by heartfelt stories and anecdotes, is a worthy contribution to the education canon.

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, West Shore Community College has published the history book West Shore Community College: The First Fifty Years.

The 128-page hardcover book unravels the history of how the college came into being and has helped shape the educational, economic, social, and cultural landscape of the area. It also chronicles key events and tells the story of the people who shaped and led the college since its beginnings in 1967.

"Building upon the history of the first 50 years, author and alumna Sarah Jensen has captured the special stories and events which reflect the college's journey from providing access to higher education in our region to our unwavering focus on student success,” said Trustee James Jensen, who chaired the committee which provided direction and oversight for the history book. “This book tells a unique story many people will enjoy because it is the story about all of us and the communities the college serves.”

Author Sarah Jensen spent more than two years on the project that included archival research and interviews with subjects around the country. Item:2005593